Fast Backup and Recovery of your Virtual Machines

Many organizations have gone to some level of a virtual infrastructure. With this change many organizations are wondering what the best solution is for back up and recovery of their virtual assets. One solution is VMwares Data Recovery solution.

Many backup products write their data to tape, which is great as a longterm storage solution but it is often a difficult and time consuming solution if you need to restore your data. VMware Data Recovery protects against data loss in your virtual environment by enabling fast backups to disk and most importantly fast and complete recovery.

Data Recovery is an easy to deploy solution that is a virtual machine that runs on VMware ESX and ESXi hosts. Another great benefit is that it allows you to restore both individual files or entire images as needed. You also have the ability to use vCenter Server for a centrally managed console.

VMware Data Recovery utilizes built in data de-duplication technology to save significant disk space. The technology eliminates duplicate storage blocks as your backup data is streamed to disk. Data Recovery also allows you to maintain multiple point in time copies of VMs but only use a fraction of the storage. De-duplication operation occurs as the VM backup is stored to disk to efficiently utilize the backup window and available resources.

Check out Vmwares Data Recovery tool as an option to help with the back up and recovery of your virtual machines. A great, cost effective easy to use tool!

Jon A. Eyberg, PEI

Desktop Virtualization

We’ve been hearing it for a few years now, but many predict THIS will be the year desktop virtualization takes over the world. (Literally? Figuratively? Who knows – but it will be awesome?!)

While it’s been a hot topic, many people aren’t sure what desktop virtualization is all about. According to PCMAG.COM’s Encyclopedia, the definition of desktop virtualization is:

A thin client architecture in which each user’s desktop, which includes the operating system and applications, runs in a separated “virtual machine” partition in a server on the network. Commonly called “virtual desktop infrastructure” (VDI), the desktop is delivered over the network in real time to the user’s PC, which functions only as an input/output (I/O) terminal. The data processing is performed in the server.

(http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=desktop+virtualization&i=55453,00.asp)

That seems great. But who should be using this, and why? What are the not-so-awesome aspects of desktop virtualization? Are there any different “flavors” of desktop virtualization? According to CIO magazine (www.cio.com), there are five: Remote Hosted Desktops, Remote Virtual Applications, Remote Hosted Dedicated Virtual Desktops, Local Virtual Applications, and Local Virtual OS. One “flavor” isn’t better than another; it just depends on which scenario is best for a particular company. And each has their own pros and cons. Take a look at this article for a deeper look into the topic:

http://www.cio.com/article/504348/Desktop_Virtualization_5_Most_Popular_Flavors_Explained

There are a few reasons in general as to why many in IT are excited about Desktop Virtualization: simplified desktop and application management, reduced costs (application deployment, overall cost of the product is decreasing, etc.), easier access to deployment in remote or branch offices, and allowing a customer to access their data from multiple devices while maintaining company compliance and corporate security. There are a few negatives, such as reliance on a connection to a corporate or public network, difficulty in running some complex applications (multimedia, etc.), and increased downtime in the event of network failures.

VMWare offers many desktop solutions.

To learn more, visit: http://www.vmware.com/solutions/desktop/

-Erika Larson, PEI

Virtualization Back-Up Strategy

Happy New Year! With a fresh new year comes an opportunity to tackle some of the items that you may have put off because they were not the most urgent on your list but something you know needs to be addressed because it is important. For many this task may be evaluating your current Virtualization back up strategy. There are many ways to accomplish your virtualization backups. In order to choose the most efficient and effective solution you need to consider the specifics of your particular organization and decide which combination is the right fit for you.

Traditional backup systems have a one-to-one relationship with servers. These tried-and-true backup systems and associated software already support storage-area networks (SAN), fiber optics, and the latest operating system and server hardware updates. But they are not geared specifically for the complex world of virtualization, which involves multiple guest operating systems on the same box.

In todays virtualized environment backups and being able to recover from a disaster is a vital part of any business continuity and plan. There are multiple mediums and resources available to help develop a solid recovery plan. Today there are three popular strategies for backing up an organizations virtual infrastructure. The first and most common solution is putting software agents on each virtual machine and then using traditional back up software. A second approach is to create an image of the VM and use a storage service hosted somewhere else or take daily snapshots of the logical unit number (LUN).

A third alternative is to utilize a tool that incrementally archives the VM. This means that it copies only what has changed since the last back up. The major benefit to this solution is that it allows the capability to restore a single file, even from one of the 27 guest operating systems that all reside on the physical server.

Many organizations go the route of backup agents and traditional backup software because that’s what they have done in the past in their physical server environment. Be cautious when considering this approach, costs can be high because of the number and scale of the VMs and licensing required.

A new trend that more and more organizations or moving towards is VM snaphots. Creating a mirror of the VM volumes provides more flexibility, reduces costs and allows a company to substantiate and entire location.

Another popular solution being implemented today is continuous data protection. For environments that have little tolerance for downtime continuous data protection can greatly reduce the time of recovery and administrative support required for the recovery.

Depending on what is most critical to your organization a combination or blend of these approaches may be the best solution. The blended solution may add more management complexity but the restoration process is more efficient and effective. A critical factor in your virtualized backup solution is to make sure that you have the ability to test and successfully restore from backup to a production ready environment. One of the key benefits in working with a virtualized environment is that it is rather easy to set up a separate test area on a different subnet that will allow you to confirm that the backup was done properly and that you can successfully recover from a disaster.

To read more about PEI and virtualization please visit http://pei.com/solutions/virtualization/

To get in contact with us please visit http://pei.com/contact-us/

-Jon Eyberg, PEI

Five Reasons Why Small and Medium Businesses Should Ask Their IT Provider About

VMWare’s vSphere Storage Appliance

1. If your company doesn’t already have shared storage (a SAN) you might not need to spend the money on one: VSA is software that transforms the internal storage from your servers into a virtualized shared storage resource.
2. Since its software, you won’t have to worry about the costs associated with hardware maintenance (new power
   supplies, replacement parts, etc.)  You will also reduce your energy footprint, since it’s one less piece of equipment to plug in to the wall.
3. If you already own a vCenter license, you already own your VSA management tool.  The VSA is configured through vCenter, so you can manage your virtual environment from one single source.
4. Setting up VSA only takes moments, since there isn’t the pesky hardware or cabling to plug in while setting it up.
5. You can still utilize the availability features of the typical vSphere/shared storage set up, like high availability, vMotion and Fault Tolerance.

Link to VSA on VMWare’s website: http://www.vmware.com/products/datacenter-virtualization/vsphere/vsphere-storage-appliance/overview.html

To learn more about how PEI can help you with your IT needs please visit contact us by filling out this form at http://pei.com/contact-us/

-Erika Larson, PEI

So You Want To Go Green? – Upgrading Equipment and Operational Practices

Last month we discuss the role that Virtualization equipment replacement played in a Green IT business plan.  Those two areas are where the “heavy lifting” is done and where the majority of your cost savings will be realized in a Green IT strategy.

There are still other areas that can provide positive impact and should not be overlooked.  They include equipment upgrades (rather than equipment replacement), and changes to your operational practices.  These are steps 7 and 8 in our 10 step Green IT Business Plan:

7. Upgrade Equipment

You may also find that it’s more effective to upgrade rather than replacement equipment.  Consult with your vendors and resellers to identify those technologies that can be upgraded.  Extending the useful life of existing equipment is also part of an ROI calculation and will reduce the amount of equipment that will be decommissioned and recycled.

8. Operational Practices

Additional operational efficiencies are possible when you can combine the support and administration of formerly disparate systems into a single team.  Unified Communications and Telephony are a good example.  Up until recently, telephony/PBX systems were run by a communications team, and servers and network services were handled by the IT team.  Modern unified communications solutions now permit both functions to be run by a single team.  Operational efficiencies will reduce team sizes and save on manpower costs.

Next month I’ll touch on the final two elements of the business plan. 

-Tim Krueger, PEI

So You Want To Go Green? – Virtualization and Equipment Replacement

As part of my continuing series on building a Green IT Business Plan, I want to discuss the next two steps.  In my previous two articles, we covered a discussion on IT Assessment, Operations and Facility Assessment, Performing a Needs Analysis, and System Consolidation.

After completing those steps, the next part of the plan is:

5.            Virtualization

One of the single most important new technologies available is virtualization.  Virtualization is the tool that permits your to optimize equipment usage, eliminate redundancies, increase utilization and streamline operations.  Server and storage virtualization also permits equipment to perform multiple roles.  Another major benefit of a virtualized IT environment is the agility and velocity it affords to adjust to changes in demand, usage and function.    A well designed virtual environment will also positively impact availability and disaster recovery.

The virtualization process can be large and time consuming depending on the sophistication of your IT infrastructure.  It’s absolutely critical to develop a strong and detailed plan for your virtualization deployment, and to solicit assistance from a qualified Reseller that specializing in this area.

After you’ve completed your virtualization, the next step is to look at the rest of your IT infrastructure.  Step 6 is:

6.            Equipment Replacement

Your Green IT business plan will almost always include some level of equipment replace.  Whether it’s replacing old PCs, or replacing servers, network and communications equipment with virtualized or multi-function devices, it’s important to make sure that your clearly understand the useful life of the new equipment, how it’ll integrate with your remaining environment, the operational and technical requirements, and the power consumption that’ll be saved by the replacement.

The good news is that newer, state-of-the-art equipment is often easier to implement, operate and maintain.  Ask your vendors to address these points prior to selecting the equipment.  There can also be added benefits by standardizing on products from a single vendor.

Next Month we’ll discuss upgrades and operational practices. 

-Tim Krueger, PEI

Have we been ‘Green-Washed’?

First I will not take credit for the term ‘green-washed’.  I’ve seen it in several articles and I’ve been contemplating its meaning along with sustainable or sustainability at it applies to IT.  Terms that seem intangible however when applied in the right context could result in millions over the life of a company.  Let’s chat more.  I recently read several articles speaking to their readers about the inability for people to distinguish the actual meaning of sustainability based on what their role, company or job entailed.  This may be the culprit but I suspect something different.  The marketing and public access of information has taken on new power in our culture to perpetuate the ‘hot’ word of the moment.  It seems we continue to put new labels on old ideas and present them as fresh or ground-breaking.  In this example sustainability related to IT has been linked to everything from power save software that turns off lights and computers to highly complex virtualized storage and server infrastructure.  Invoking another commonly used term Green IT with green again being a word that is so beat down people may now be ignoring it when in use.   This overuse or exploitation of such terminology may be attributing to our Green-washing.  Our ability to ignore or glaze over the real meaning of making your IT infrastructure Green or sustainable and just assuming it is because someone has suggested or even performed work to green your IT. 

In the PEI world Green IT or sustainable IT means a holistic (there’s another one of those words) approach to the entire infrastructure and networking architecture of an organization and finding each and every point of entry to reduce power consumption, required rack or floor space and reduce the management cycles of staff.  This approach allows us to truly offer a sustainability argument for IT and create a greener environment.  So if you’re sick of the word Green or not …if the goal of achieving sustainability makes you tear your hair out …just remember these are not new concepts or crazy fictional ideas.  These are concrete, real, business impacting and cost saving measures that no matter what title is given to them is integral to running your business wisely.  And that is a concept that will never go out of style. 

- Jennifer Smith, PEI

What tops your priority list for 2011?

As 2010 comes to an end many organizations are beginning to re-evaluate what objectives were accomplished in 2010 and have begun to look forward to see what tops their list of initiatives for 2011. At PEI, the majority of our clients fall into the mid market category, from the discussions we have been having; here is a top 10 list of the most pressing initiatives for the mid-market in 2011.

1. Infrastructure Virtualization
2. Unified Communications
3. Microsoft Exchange 2010 Migration
4. Microsoft Windows 7 Migration
5. Managed Services
6. Server Upgrades (to support virtualization)
7. Security
8. SANs
9. Strategies for supporting remote users
10. Disaster Recovery

Continued challenging economic times have forced IT professionals to be creative to accomplish their goals with limited spending increases. Many organizations have turned to leasing to help accomplish their objectives. Leasing can prove an essential tool for small and mid-size organizations by allowing them to conserve capital and make set payments over time. This can also allow for equipment upgrades at regular intervals without breaking the bank.

With challenging economic times larger organizations have tended to avoid CapEx risks such as buying new hardware. Fortunately for organizations in the mid market they have tended to see the benefits of operational investments fairly quickly, even during an economic downturn. We have seen many organizations achieve these results with their infrastructure virtualization projects.
Now is a great time to take some time to pause and reflect on your accomplishments in 2010 and start to prioritize your objectives for ensure a successful 2011.

-Jon Eyberg, PEI

Green IT… The best kept dirty little secret

Earlier this year, I served on a panel on Green Business.  Given that we’ve been providing core infrastructure for over 20 years, I tried to articulate how information technology can be a major contributor to “going green”. There were a lot of highbrow concepts bantered around with words like “virtualization”, and “consolidation”, and notions of ecology, natural resource preservation and government incentives.  What it all boiled down to was anything that reduces energy consumption or generates less heat will save you money and start you down the lush Green IT path.

So who’s buying Green?  It turns out that most businesses we deal with are more concerned with cost containment and improving the bottom line.  Given this economy, how can anyone argue with that?  It’s a big order to keep everyone gainfully employed and practice the Doing-More-With-Less exercises.  The dirty little secret is that the technologies that fulfill on positive bottom line impacts are also the same ones that are being touted for Green IT.   Insightful business decision makers are, in many cases, converting over to the Green side of the street, AND exercising masterful decision making skills that save them money and improve their ability to compete.

So what’s the lesson?  Simply put – going Green makes sense for business, and businesses are wise to focus on being Green.  The hard part now will be breaking the news to the business decision makers.

-Tim Krueger, PEI

Cloud Computing: Taking it Slow & Steady

There’s been a lot of buzz about Cloud Computing in the last year.  Many of the vendors are buying into the notion that business will be flocking to the cloud in droves because it solves so many problems.  As an organization that deals with the infrastructure, security and network requirements of hundreds of organizations, I’ve got to believe that the overly simplistic models they present is going to wreak havoc for those that don’t adequately analyze and prepare. 

The best advice I can provide is to take it slowly.  If you’re intrigued with Cloud and want to test the waters, start with a resource that isn’t mission critical.  Set up a team that can pilot the application and help identify areas of concern.  Until you fully understand the impacts on performance, accessibility, service levels, true total costs, regulatory compliance, and the interoperability of the Cloud application with your other owned systems, don’t go betting the farm.  The Cloud is new and its impact on your business comes with a lot of uncertainty.  A healthy dose of skepticism will go a long way to improving your mental health.

-Tim Krueger, PEI